Evaluating the Classical Statistical
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International Journal of Plant Science and Ecology Vol. 4, No. 3, 2018, pp. 22-33 http://www.aiscience.org/journal/ijpse ISSN: 2381-6996 (Print); ISSN: 2381-7003 (Online) Evaluating the Classical Statistical Methods and Gradient Analysis of Soil-Vegetative Cover Interrelationships (Case Study: Steppe Pastures in Arsanjan County-Fars Province) Saeed Mohtashamnia 1, *, Mohammad Javad Eskandari 2 1Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Islamic Azad University, Arsanjan Branch, Arsanjan, Iran 2Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Abstract The vegetative cover well-establishment subject to matrix governance is inter alia the most important environmental factors. Gaining an insight over the entire factors and comprehending their interrelationships with the quantitative attributes of the vegetative cover can be done through classical statistical methods. But, the existence of some relationships in the hidden structure of the environmental factors render classical statistical methods inefficient and unable to accurately demonstrate these collateral relationships. Therefore, the use of gradient analysis can precisely reveal the hidden structure and then the authentic ecological grouping of the plant species can follows. Based thereon, the most important factors associated with the soil were identified to determine the ecological plant groups inside and outside a protected area both of which featuring similar topographical and climatic conditions. In each area, the measurements of canopy percentage as well as the density and frequency of the plant species based on random-systematic sampling method via placement of 5 transects, 50 meters in length, and placement of 10 quadrats, 1 square meter in area, based on antenna method were carried out so as to better exploit the appearances of the pasture surface. Moreover, the soil samples were taken according to the boundary-layer separation horizons and the type of the extant plants considering the active rooting region from two depth ranges of 0-10 cm and 10-50 cm in a completely systematic manner of the beginning, middle and ending sections of every transect. The regression analysis results indicated that, out of the 6 ecological plant groups from both of the studied areas, there is a relationship between Amygdalus lycioides, Acantholium festuacemum, Artemisia sieberi and stipa barbata and the twelvefold soil variable based on classical statistical methods but no particular behavior was evidenced in the classical statistical methods regarding the two species of Convolvulus acanthocaladus and Ebenus stellata. But, the utilization of PCA and CCA methods and drawing of raster graphs and making of classifications finally led to the identification of the soil factors influencing the establishment of these two species in both inside and outside the conserved area. Keywords Gradient Analysis, Protected or Conserved Area, Soil Characteristics, PCA, CCA Received: August 17, 2018 / Accepted: September 10, 2018 / Published online: October 9, 2018 @ 2018 The Authors. Published by American Institute of Science. This Open Access article is under the CC BY license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ well perceived in the natural ecosystems so as to be able to 1. Introduction appropriately manage the pasture and rangeland ecosystems. According to the importance of the vegetative cover as the The relationships between the ecological factors should be key factor of the pasture ecosystems and considering the * Corresponding author E-mail address: 23 Saeed Mohtashamnia and Mohammad Javad Eskandari: Evaluating the Classical Statistical Methods and Gradient Analysis of Soil-Vegetative Cover Interrelationships (Case Study: Steppe Pastures in Arsanjan County-Fars Province) involvement of the environmental factors in the temperate and dry, semiarid and temperate, semiarid and cold determination and change of their composition and structure, and subhumid and cold climatic conditions, and Amygdalus it is necessary to recognize the most important environmental orientalis species are present in two subhumid and cold factors influencing the establishment and the scattering of climates and on higher elevations [4]. [17]. dealt with the plant communities. In fact, these factors provide for the investigation of the close relationships between several plant establishment of various plant species in the rangelands and species characteristic of dry regions with some of the various pastures. Also, knowing that there is a close relationship environmental and soil-related factors and determined the between the ecosystem components and that the soil is fully most important factors influencing their scattering in a part of subjected to the climatic factors, living organisms, Shahriyar’s Chaharbaq pastures. His study results indicated topography, mother rock and time, the discussions become that the most important factors influencing the region’s more connected to the soil-vegetative cover interrelationships scattering of vegetative cover are soil texture, salinity and [16]. Keeping it in mind that the investigation of the minerals’ percentage, effective soil depth, potassium and ecological plant groups belonging to conserved areas and nitrogen levels [7]. [20]. applied the geographical otherwise is largely feasible via taking the environmental information system to investigate the relationship between factors, especially the soil, into account, the classical the plant communities and the physical factors in Chorat sub- statistical methods can be utilized to perform regression basin from Telar watershed in the northern section of Alborz analyses and unravel the relationships’ being statistically mountain range. The study results indicated that the climatic significant or not in 95% and 99% confidence level so as to factors influence the plant types and biological forms and, in figure out the effectiveness of the soil-related variables on the the meanwhile, the rangeland plant types are sensitive to the vegetative cover establishment. But, the presence of some soil factors so the soil-related variables are to be considered variables featuring hidden structures degrades the accuracy as the most important factors behind the region’s vegetative of the classical statistical methods that are mostly incapable cover scattering [17]. [9]. evaluated the relationship between of revealing these hidden structures so the task can be the soil’s chemical and physical characteristics with some of assigned to gradient analysis methods in such cases [16]. Sabzevar region’s index plants. The study results indicated Thus, the present study adopts an approach to determine the that there is a significant relationship between the soil index plant species residing in rangelands inside and outside characteristics and the vegetative cover percentage of the the specified protected area to, finally, separate the ecological various plant species but the correlations between them vary plant species based on vegetative cover variables and soil as depending on the plant species [10]. Studied the most well as investigation of the most important soil-related important environmental factors influencing the scattering of factors influencing the vegetative cover using the statistical wormwood in steppe pastures of Fars Province. The results classical and non-classical methods. There are numerous of their study showed that the highest environmental factors’ studies carried out both inside and outside the country in line occurrence likelihood in respect to Artemisia sieberi, in an with the present study subject matter. [5]. studied the mutual elevation gradient of 1900-2200 meter goes to phosphorus, relationships of the soil’s physical and chemical acidity, presence of sand, elevation from sea level, as the characteristics with the dominant rangeland plant species in preliminary factors, followed by the percentages of lime, Mehr-e-Zamin region, Qom Province. Their results indicated gypsum and potassium, as the secondary factors; that the various soil parameters do not exert identical effects furthermore, the highest environmental factors’ occurrence on the plant species and the canopy, amongst the various likelihood in respect to Artemisia aucheri, in an elevation studied soil-related factors, is maximally correlated with two gradient of 2200-2400 meter, belongs to sand, elevation from factors, namely potassium level and horizon thickness rates, sea level, as the primary factors followed by the percentages and minimally associated with electrical conductivity [1, 7]. of potassium and clay and the slope as the secondary factors dealt with the study of the relationship between the climatic [11]. [8]. studied the relationship between the vegetative factors, topographic and edaphic factors with the vegetative cover and environmental factors in dry rangelands on cover in the mountainous rangelands in Rinne. Their results calcareous soils of the eastern Slovakia. In the study, three indicated that the environmental factors of the region have a substantial factors, topography, soil and biological factors great effect on the vegetative cover and the soil’s physical were examined. The study results indicated that these three and chemical characteristics inter alia the various factors factors because separation in the plant types of the studied exert the highest influence on the region’s plant communiteis region in such a manner that inter alia all the studied factors [3]. Investigated